Wrapped | Best of 2023

THE SKETCHES

MAGIC
by John D. Babcock III

MEET THE FLOCKERS
by Tonni Lane

BOOKED AND BLESSED
by Katie Wickline

HALLMARK ANONYMOUS
by Amanda Vick

THE GIRL OF MANY HATS
by Caroline Steed

THE BIRDWATCHERS
by Roi Tamkin

MARIA
by Tonni Lane

OFFICE PANTS
by Patrick Calvillo

FRED AND DAPHNE
by John D. Babcock III

GUITARS
by Allie O’Neill

SATAN SALAD SANDWICH
by Brad Reason

NEW CHURCH CHOIR MEMBER
by Bruce Gibson

THE LORD IS…
by Tonni Lane

INTERMISSION

VIDEO: THE BURGER KING WAY

TORNADO WARNING
by Tim Millard

DUNGEONS AND RESUMES
by Tim Millard

FIREFLIES
by Tonni Lane

IT’S JUST COFFEE
by Amanda Vick

KING TROLL
by Birton Cowden

WIDOW WORK
by John D. Babcock III

HITMAN SEMINAR
by Lucindo Teixeira

HEY KIRSTY?
by John D. Babcock III

MATH-A-MANIA
by Tim Millard

IT’S AN INTERVENTION CHARLIE BROWN
by Tim Millard

APRIL SARGENT
Director

Not too long ago, back in the early days of 2022, April's comedic adventure began. As a director of revenue operations for a tech company (is that even a real job?), she craved something beyond the everyday. And, between the pandemic's grip slowly easing and the faint whisper of a midlife crisis on the horizon, she knew she needed a creative outlet.

Beginning as an unassuming scribbler, she plunged headfirst into sketch comedy writing classes. The world of comedy soon captivated her far beyond her initial expectations. It didn't take long for April to recognize that being behind the scenes wouldn't satisfy her newfound appetite – she needed to perform! Though she hadn't formally graced a stage before, April always possessed a touch of theatrical flair, often jesting, "I'm not dramatic, I'm animated!"

Following her sketch comedy acting graduation show earlier this year, April has managed to secure a spot on stage for every subsequent Sketchworks performance. Eager to broaden her sketch comedy horizons, she also assumed the role of Assistant Director for the June show and now harbors ambitions to direct. To her, it feels like a natural fit to think about how her 9-to-5 skills (orchestrating technology, data, and processes) could be applied to directing a sketch show. (We'll wait to see how her directorial aspirations unfold!)

With a knack for finding humor in everyday moments, April is a true comedy enthusiast. Her experience thus far reminds her that comedy isn't just about punchlines or "being funny" – it's about the journey of self-discovery, the joy of connection, and the magic of turning life's quirks into shared laughter.

BRUCE GIBSON
Assistant Director

Bruce Gibson has always had a love for TV, movies, and the stage! He has played improv comedy throughout Atlanta including The Basement Theatre, Relapse Theater, and the Red Door Playhouse in addition to Star Wars Celebration conventions. He has also performed stand-up comedy at Atlanta venues such as The Punchline. Funny is fun! Bruce is well-known in the Star Wars and Star Trek fan communities as a moderator/panelist at fan conventions, such as DragonCon, Star Wars Celebration, and Star Trek Mission. He has been a producer/co-host of various podcasts including The Star Wars Report, Trekfm, and Positively Trek. In his younger days, Bruce studied British theatre at Oxford University and broadcasting at Penn State University. Today, Bruce is married with two daughters, lives in Alpharetta, and is an executive in network television distribution for comedian and entrepreneur, Byron Allen. Can you tell he loves TV, movies and the stage?

BRIAN TROXELL
Producer

Brian has been a fan of sketch comedy since he was a little kid and was as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning when he discovered Sketchworks in 2009. He joined as an actor in 2010, directed his first show in 2013, and became an owner-producer in 2015.

Brian is an actor and voice artist in Atlanta, appearing in shows such as Hawkeye and Cobra Kai. He has narrated nearly 200 audiobooks so far and is still cranking them out. He graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in computer science that he never uses anymore and has completely forgotten everything about. Brian’s personal mantra is “#NeverProduce”.

He is owned by his two cats Winston and Malachi. You can check out everything he’s up to at https://linktr.ee/troxbirds.

JEAN ALEXANDER

Jean Alexander is a film, TV, and theatre actor and visual artist whose love affair with acting began at the tender age of four when she acted out various cartoons in her parents’ basement. Her favorites - and by favorites, I mean, her bizarre crushes -were Alvin of Alvin and the Chipmunks, and Pepe le Pew. In spite of her unusual attraction to cartoon rodents, Jean is happily married to Bill, an extremely patient and supportive architect, and has two amazing sons. Jean is a longtime Mainstage actor with Sketchworks, and is very happy to be up on stage playing with her sketchy cast mates.

JOHN PHILIP BUISMAN

John has been doing sketch comedy since he was very young. He would invite friends over and pester them into creating a mini sketch show with him on the spot. John pursued Theatre at the University of Georgia, where he acted in plays ranging from Thornton Wilder's Skin of Our Teeth to Sophie Treadwell's Machinal. In addition to his work with Sketchworks, John has participated at the Atlanta Fringe Festival as both actor and director. Since graduating, John has led summer camps for Sketchworks Education.

BIRTON COWDEN

Birton Cowden is an alleged human person. He began doing improv in 2008, and had such success after one show, he retired from comedy. During these dark times, he sold his soul and got a PhD. After the Covid-19 pandemic, there was overwhelming support for Birton to come out of retirement from his fan base (i.e. his wife). In 2023, Birton became a Sketchworks mainstage actor and writer. Birton has also weaseled his way to acting in commercials and other live performances. His star is rising so much that ChatGPT had this to say: As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, I do not have any information on an individual named "Birton Cowden." It's possible that this person gained prominence or became known after my last update, or they might not be widely recognized.

DAVE DEUTSCHLE

Dave Deutschle is an accountant/finance worker by day and an actor by night. He is lucky to have acting along with his sense of humor to keep him sane, because as many would guess accounting does not lead to an environment where laughing and joking around are encouraged. Dave has had the pleasure of working many times with Sketchworks in the past and is grateful that Cathy is letting this old man come back and have some fun with a great cast, writers and directors. Get ready to laugh and have some fun damnit!

MICHAEL DONELAN

Michael joined Sketchworks in 2018 and made his debut in Moby Sketch. With a face for radio, Michael has also tried his hand at voice-over acting and has appeared on the Harry Strange Radio Drama podcast. He has also recently appeared recently in Merely Players Presents' production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.

When not trying to be funny, Michael enjoys playing guitar (poorly), singing in a choir (poorly), exercising (irregularly) and exploring conspiracy theories on Reddit. He is a loving husband to a long-suffering wife and a father to two often mortified teenagers.

MATT HOUCHIN

Matt Houchin's comedy career began in a 4th grade talent show where he and his friend Dominic performed "Ice Ice Baby" as the SNL characters Hans and Franz. He has spent the past three decades vainly attempting to top that.

As a professional actor, veteran improvisor, and pretty chill video producer, Matt has worked with Funny Or Die, College Humor, ComedySportz, and now that he moved to Atlanta... Sketchworks!

Besides his recent gig as a print model for some new lightweight and affordable vacuum cleaners, Matt is best known for his web series "The Bloomington Bros." which includes the definitive cover of Nickelback's "Photograph."

For 2024 Matt is wearing a Hard Rock Cafe shirt every single day to raise one million dollars for Free Guitars 4 Kids. No one has ever done this. If you’d like to play a part in this historic journey, check out fg4k.org/mattrocksshirts

You can also see everything else Matt is up to at matthouchin.com

ROBERT McLEROY

A career class clown and a gravitational pull towards whacky, quirky characters lead to an early love of acting and comedy for Robert. However, many years would pass before he gave acting a real shot. This prompted a move to Atlanta in 2014 where he was shortly signed by Atlanta Models & Talent. Both large in stature and extraness, (is that what they kids are saying these days?) it didn’t take long for Robert to be cast in several filmed comedic sketches. Robert made his Sketchworks debut in Vape: The Musical as Danny Zucko and this is his fifth time on a Sketchworks stage and is grateful to be part of such a well-oiled, comedy-makin’ machine. (After all our logo is a set of gears. Get it? No? I’ll see myself out)

Anyways, Some of Robert’s television credits include The Wonder Years, Dopesick & ID Discovery’s Dead Silent. IMDb.me | IG: bigrobmack

Enjoy the show!

TIM MILLARD

Tim Millard is an actor and writer. His journey began after his own mother named him after a 1971 one-hit-wonder song about implied cannibalism. A childhood of watching cartoons, movies, and late-night television — combined with his prior career in journalism — molded and warped Tim’s mind with all sorts of absurd and silly ideas. You now get to see those ideas come to life in the work he does for Sketchworks Comedy!

Tim also acts on stage around Atlanta and on screens worldwide. Follow him on Instagram at @thetimmillard for his latest creative endeavors and for photos of his six-toed cat, Noodle.

SANDI SCHEIER

Sandi is an original Sketchworks member starting with the troupe in 2003 as a performer and writer. She enjoys doing a wide variety of characters and will do almost anything for a laugh. Some of her favorite Sketchworks characters include Paris Hilton, Mary from “Lil’ House in the Hood,” multiple uptight Karens, and of course Sonny from Vape. Sandi has been acting for 20+ years doing commercials, films, and tv. She also teaches psychology at Kennesaw State University which means if you’re talking to her, she probably is silently diagnosing you. Besides acting, she enjoys being outdoors playing tennis and hiking so if you can’t find her look on a tennis court or a mountain.

KATHLEEN SECONDER

Kathleen is stoked to be working with her talented Sketchworks Teammates once again! You may have seen her in productions at Stage Door Players, Actor’s Express, Atlanta Opera, Onstage Atlanta, Act 3, Gypsy Theater, or Lionheart Theater and Off-Broadway in NYC in The Limousine Ride at the historic McGinn-Cazale Theater among others. She has also performed overseas with the Copenhagen Theater Circle, and Kensington Drama Company in London.

She has appeared in film and television projects in the burgeoning SE production scene and enjoys hiking, travel, music and a host of other fun and varied pursuits when not performing onstage. Thanks for supporting live sketch comedy and here’s to humor!

JENNY STEARNS

For decades, too many to mention, Jenny Stearns graced the stage as a dancer. In 2013 her passion for performance turned her attention to film and television, giving it a go in the vocal world of performance. In 2018, after many failed attempts at the big screen, Sketchworks scooped her up and brought her back to the stage. Shortly after, Covid closed those stages, but here we are, once again back to the stage.

Jenny made her directorial debut in the Sketchworks show Sketchin 9 to 5, arguably the BEST show of 2023 (keep on mind Jenny wrote this bio). In August 2024, Jenny will once again order (by order we mean direct) people around in her next Sketchworks show, stay tuned.

AMANDA VICK

Amanda Vick’s love of comedy precedes her time as a Sketchworks Comedy writer and actor. It goes back to her childhood, as an eight year old raised on a farm in Alabama, where she wrote comedy and song parodies with her sister. That passion for comedy and the performing arts has taken Amanda to New York City to study acting at William Esper Studio and improv with Upright Citizens Brigade. Amanda previously performed with Sketchworks Comedy in the cast of The Dream Cafe Experience.

JILLIAN WALZER

Jillian is an award-winning film, TV, theatre actress, and model, who is also known to write and produce, thus launching, Off The Walz Entertainment in 2019 where her films quickly gained recognition and festival awards around the world. Jillian recently won best actress and best performance in her self-penned film, ‘Hit or Miss”. When Jillian is not working in front of the camera she can be found on stage. Favorite theatre roles include Tina in “Tony and Tina’s Wedding”, Mary in “Laughing Stock”, Karen in “The Children’s Hour”, Lou in “In Lieu of Flowers”, Tess in the “The Credeaux Canvas”, and Jennifer in “Pieces” (Y’all she had a hard time picking). But it goes without saying, Jillian's love for comedy gets the attention it needs as a Sketchworks Comedy MainStage actor since 2018.

When Jillian is not performing, she's most definitely consuming as much buttercream frosting as she can. Stay connected with Jillian on Insta and at Off The Walz Entertainment.

KATIE WICKLINE

Katie Wickline is an actor, educator, and Sort of Adult from Atlanta, GA. She grew up watching I Love Lucy and Saturday Night Live, so naturally being the center of attention became her one life goal. She has a degree in Theatre from Florida State University, where she got to study stage combat and physical theatre in London. In Atlanta, she’s known for her work at 7 Stages Theatre, playing Garth in Save the Video Store, and touring with the National Theatre for Children (just a tad OTP). Some of her Atlanta training includes Dad’s Garage, Company Acting Studio, Vernal and Sere Theatre, and Havoc Movement. Passionate about creating safe, brave spaces, she’s an Artistic Mental Health Practioner and has trained with the Association of Mental Health Coordinators and Theatrical Intimacy Education. She joined Sketchworks primarily to make new friends and happened to become a mainstage performer along the way! Now she’s writing sketches and coaching the comedians of tomorrow (or next Thursday? Forgot to update the Google Calendar). She’s super stoked to be a Cog and cause some chaos!

JOHN D. BABCOCK III
Head Writer

John's comedy career began when he was a kid. He and his friends would write and perform sketches for neighbors in his backyard. John joined Sketchworks Comedy in January 2017 as a cast member of LAUGHTER REHAB. In addition to writing and performing for Sketchworks, John writes murder mystery plays for Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem at Petite Violette and the Mystery Café of Indianapolis. He also contributed on-air scripts to Turner Classic Movies - having written for the late Robert Osborne, and Ben Mankiewicz. His play INDEPENDENT, about filmmaker John Cassavetes, received its world premiere at Essential Theatre's 2017 Summer Festival. John is a loving and dedicated husband and father who drives a sensible car and has no pets.

PATRICK CALVILLO

Kansas born artist, Patrick Calvillo, received his BFA with the emphasis on painting, sculpture and film. Calvillo lives in Atlanta and is currently a sketch and weekly monologue writer for Sketchworks ATL. He is also the co-creator/artist for Rad Atlanta Zine. Calvillo dedicates his time to his own passion projects such as animation and short comedy sketches for film festivals.

BRUCE GIBSON

Bruce Gibson has always had a love for TV, movies, and the stage! He has played improv comedy throughout Atlanta including The Basement Theatre, Relapse Theater, and the Red Door Playhouse in addition to Star Wars Celebration conventions. He has also performed stand-up comedy at Atlanta venues such as The Punchline. Funny is fun! Bruce is well-known in the Star Wars and Star Trek fan communities as a moderator/panelist at fan conventions, such as DragonCon, Star Wars Celebration, and Star Trek Mission. He has been a producer/co-host of various podcasts including The Star Wars Report, Trekfm, and Positively Trek. In his younger days, Bruce studied British theatre at Oxford University and broadcasting at Penn State University. Today, Bruce is married with two daughters, lives in Alpharetta, and is an executive in network television distribution for comedian and entrepreneur, Byron Allen. Can you tell he loves TV, movies and the stage?

TONNI LANE

Tonni's performing arts career started when he was cast as Judah Maccabee in his 4th grade Hannukah play, beating out all three other males in the class. His career has been on a downward trajectory ever since, with highlights including being named an alternate for his high school a cappella group and running over Michael Cera's foot with a rolling suitcase (Michael apologized).

Tonni enjoys spending time with his family and binge eating Ruffles.

TIM MILLARD

Tim Millard is an actor and writer whose own mother named him after a 1971 one-hit wonder song about cannibalism. A childhood of watching movies and late-night television, combined with his prior career in journalism, molded and warped Tim’s mind with all sorts of absurd and silly ideas. You now get to see those ideas come to life in the work he does for Sketchworks Comedy!

Follow him on Instagram and Twitter at @thetimmillard for mostly photos of his six-toed cat, Noodle.

ALLIE O’NEILL

Allie has been writing and performing with Sketchworks off and on (but mostly off) since her first class in 2012 and has directed and produced video sketches and opening credits as well as being a regular contributor to Newsbrake (when she remembers). She has appeared professionally on the big screen in "Let's Be Cops," on the small screen in "Snapped: Killer Couples," and on stage as The Queen at Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament. She has arguably found more success behind the scenes as a member of IATSE Local 479 where she serves as the Chair of the Young Workers Committee, working mostly in the props department while also directing music videos. She's currently "in school for computers," (whatever that means) at Georgia Gwinnett College and is a Cisco Certified Support Technician, just in case anyone out there is hiring. Allie lives in Lawrenceville with her husband Corey and their cat Razzy. She has a degree in something that doesn't matter from a college you've never heard of.

ROI TAMKIN

Roi J Tamkin is a writer and photographer living in Atlanta, GA for some unknown reason. He attended film school and worked in production, but sadly, in the greater Pittsburgh area. Roi began writing for Sketchworks since 2016. In addition to sketch writing, Roi has written plays, screenplays, short stories and essays. He writes professionally for Anthem Blue Cross and likes to vacation in the tropics. His photography has been exhibited in galleries across the country and showcased in publications and online.

LUCINDO TEIXEIRA

Lucindo is writer/performer hailing from Orlando, Florida where he learned to hone his comedic chops at SAK Comedy Lab, performing there for 5 years. He moved to Atlanta in 2020 (bad timing) to pursue comedy acting further, establishing himself as part of the ensemble with The Village Theater and, more currently, Woodstock Improv Troupe. Lucindo is excited to be a part of the Sketchworks Family where being smart, silly, and weird has its advantages.